------------------------ BurmaNet ------------------------ "Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies" ---------------------------------------------------------- The BurmaNet News: June 1, 1997 Issue #738 HEADLINES: ========== BBC: ASEAN TO ADMIT BURMA IN JULY NATION:TWO KILLED, INTRUDERS PLUNDER REFUGEECAMPS THAILAND TIMES: RANGOON SCHOOLS TO REMAIN CLOSED ALTSEAN: BURMA ACTIVISTS ARRESTED IN KUALA LUMPUR THE NATION: ENTRY TO SUU KYI'S HOME BANNED EUROPEAN UNION: DECLARATION OF CONCERN OVER ARRESTS SHAN HUMAN RIGHTS FOUNDATION: REPORT MAY 1997 TT: THAILAND DEFENDS POLICY OF FORCED REPATRIATION REUTER: BURMA SIGNS ECONOMIC PACT WITH ALLY CHINA THAILAND TIMES: BORDER DISPUTE TAKES A NEW TWIST TT: THAI LOGGERS' ARREST LINKED TO DISCONTENT RANGOON TV MYANMAR NETWORK: USDA MEETINGS BRC-J ANNOUNCEMENT: INTERDIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS ----------------------------------------------------------------- BBC: ASEAN TO ADMIT BURMA IN JULY May 31, 1997 From: David Arnott According to the BBC World Service news bulletin of 8.00 hrs GMT, 31 May 1997, (Announcer) "The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, has decided to admit Burma as a member in July, ignoring pressure from Western nations who wanted Burma's admission delayed until its human rights record improved. Cambodia and Laos will also be admitted. The announcement was made after the foreign ministers of the existing seven member countries met in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur. >From there Enver Solomon sent this report:" "ASEAN has sent a clear message to the world that it believes Burma's military leaders can be influenced by dialogue rather than by isolating them. The United States recently imposed economic sanctions on Burma, and the US Secretary of State Madelaine Albright said last week that ASEAN shouldn't accept Burma as a new member. But the ASEAN foreign ministers believe that they shouldn't interfere in the domestic affairs of the countries in the region. The Malaysian Foreign Minister, Mr Abdullah Badawi, who chaired the meeting, said ASEAN would now pursue a constructive dialogue with Burma's leaders, and he said this had been a unanimous decision amongst All seven members. But human rights groups say that allowing Burma to join ASEAN would simply encourage the country's military leaders to continue to suppress the opposition. Members of the Malaysian non-governmental organisation who'd gathered outside the meeting in Kuala Lumpur to lobby the foreign ministers were immediately detained when they tried to voice these concerns". (Announcer) "The ruling military authorities in Burma have welcomed the ASEAN decision. A senior official of the State Law and Order Restoration Council in Rangoon said Burma had always had confidence in the wisdom of ASEAN leaders". ************************************** THE NATION: TWO KILLED AS INTRUDERS PLUNDER REFUGEE CAMPS May 31, 1997 TAK - About 100 armed Karen intruders burned and plundered two refugee camps in Tak province early yesterday morning, killing two people, including a Thai man, and leaving at least 11,000 people homeless. Members of the Burma-based Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) attacked and torched Baan Huay Kalok and Huay; Bong about 12.15 am. About the same time, at Baan Huay Kalok, or Wangka, in Mae Sot district, raiders burned down 2,500 homes, one school, two Christian churches and a Muslim mosque, leaving 8,000 Karen refugees homeless. At Huay Bong, or Don Pa Kiang, in Mae Ramat district, 633 houses were set ablaze and more them 3,000 people left without shelter. It was the second time the two camps have been attacked by the DKBA, a renegade breakaway faction of the Karen National Union (KNU). In late January violent raids left two people dead, including a Thai man, and two Karen refugee children seriously hurt. Yesterday morning Suthep Chankhamsaeng, 32, and a Karen refugee, Kasim, were killed. The intruders also stole refugees' belongings and five motorcycles before retreating across the Moei River back into Burma. A Karen refugee resident of the sprawling Huay Kalok said the intruders robbed shophouses on the outskirts of the camp before opening fire to scare the refugees and setting alight their thatched and wooden shelters. Mae Sot District Chief Somchai Hathaitanti and Pol Col Noppon Chatiwong, commander of the 306th Border Patrol Police Unit, rushed to Huay Kalok after being informed of the attack. Flames spread quickly and fire fighters were unable to prevent widespread destruction. In Mae Ramat, District Chief Manit Sriworakul and a team from the 345th Border Patrol Police Unit rushed to the Huay Bong but strong winds frustrated their attempts to put out the fires. Although DKBA forces have repeatedly violated Thai territory and raided and pillaged several Karen refugee camps since the group broke away from the main body of the KNU over two years ago, the attacks in January and on Friday were the most serious acts of DKBA aggression yet against Karen civilians on Thai soil. The January raids prompted the Army to send reinforcements to protect against farther intrusions. Yesterday's attacks occurred only one day after Thai and Burmese forces withdrew from a disputed islet in the Moei River, defusing a tense confrontation. No government spokesmen were available for comment yesterday. In January, Foreign Ministry spokesman Surapong Jayanama termed the DKBA attacks "acts of terrorism" and "a blatant violation of Thai sovereignty". ******************************** THAILAND TIMES: RANGOON SCHOOLS TO REMAIN CLOSED May 31, 1997 AFP RANGOON: Schools and universities closed in Rangoon during student unrest late last year are likely to stay shut until August, sources said yesterday. Schools were unlikely to open for the new semester due to start soon because of upcoming activist anniversaries, commemorating the pro-democracy uprising of 1988 which was put down by the military, they said. The summer holiday usually ends in late May and there was speculation arrangements would be made for final year university students to sit exams in Rangoon townships rather than congregate at campuses around the Burmese capital. ************************************************** ALTSEAN: BURMA ACTIVISTS ARRESTED IN KUALA LUMPUR May 31, 1997 From: altsean@ksc.th.com Media Release of arrests ALTSEAN-BURMA A L T E R N A T I V E A S E A N N E T W O R K O N B U R M A tel: 66 2 275 1811, 66 2 693 4515 fax: 66 2 693 4515 c/o FORUM-ASIA, 109 SUTHISARNWINICHAI RD, SAMSENNOK, HUAYKWANG, BANGKOK 10320, THAILAND FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MAY 31, 1997 MEDIA RELEASE BURMA: ACTIVISTS ARRESTED AT ASEAN FOREIGN MINISTERS MEETING Bangkok, Saturday - Nine Malaysians were arrested this afternoon for attempting to deliver a memorandum on Burma to the Asean Foreign Ministers Meeting at the Regent Hotel in Kuala Lumpur. The activists were obeying police orders to leave the venue when they were grabbed by police and bundled into a waiting Black Maria at about 12.45 p.m. local time. One of those arrested, Ms Elizabeth Wong said the police action stunned the activists: "We don't understand how this can happen when we were obeying the police. Is this a sign that the rest of Asean is going to adopt the ways of Burma's junta?" asked a perplexed Ms Wong. Ms Wong explained that two people went to the hotel lobby and were able to hand a copy of the memo to Singapore Foreign Minister Professor Jayakumar while the others spoke to media in front of the hotel:"The police surrounded us and ordered us to leave. We immediately dispersed but they followed and grabbed us." The text of the memorandum signed by Burma Solidarity Group Malaysia Coordinator Mr. Fan Yew Teng read: [passage omitted, see BurmaNet News Issue #737] The activists also attempted to deliver the transcript of a video message from Burma democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi to Asean as well as a copy of the Burma resolution adopted by the Inter-Parliamentary Council at its 160th session. It is believed that the activists will be detained until Monday June 2. ENDS For more information, contact Bangkok (66 2) 693 4515 or 275 1881 or Kuala Lumpur (603/093) 794 3525 Update: It has just been learnt that the police have no intention of releasing the arrested activists this weekend. Ocpd (office-in-charge of police district) Zainal has decided to keep them behind bars until Monday for a possible remand hearing. OCPD ACP Zainal Abidin Stadium Police Station Fax: ++ 603 202 3237 (Replace 603 With 093 If Dialing From Thailand) ___________________________________________________________ 3. Those arrested were: Mr. Fan Yew Teng, writer and peace activist Mr. Raymond Chong, social activist Mr. Sharaad Kuttan, human rights activist and journalist Mr. Steven Chan, social activist Mr. Tian Chua, labour activist and writer Ms. Elizabeth Wong, Co-ordinator of SUARAM (human rights NGO) and writer Ms. Lee Siew Hwa, human rights activist Ms. Sieela Colandai, environmental activist Ms. Teresa Kok, social activist ________________________________________________________ If you would like to lodge a protest at your nearest Malaysian diplomatic mission, please remember, if you are doing this in an Asean member state, to be careful - Burmese activists will be an easy target for the authorities. You and your organisation may choose to just fax the closest Malaysian diplomatic mission and the following contact: Mr Mohd Arshad M. Hussain Under-Secretary, South-East Asia Region Foreign Ministry of Malaysia Wisma Putra Kuala Lumpur Fax no: ++ 603 2425125, 2424551 (if you're faxing from Thailand, replace 603 with 093) *********************************** THE NATION: ENTRY TO SUU KYI'S HOME BANNED May 31, 1997 [abridged] Reuters RANGOON - Burma's authorities will bar entry to democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's home and blockade her party's headquarters until after a crucial Asean membership meeting this weekend, an official source said yesterday. He said the military government wanted to avoid clashes with members of the National League for Democracy (NLD), which has urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to refrain from admitting Burma. "They know that the NLD is planning to make some move during the Asean meeting, so they are banning people from access to the NLD to deter them from gathering," the source said. "Slorc [the ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council] is applying this deterrent because they want to avoid the use of force on the eve of the ASEAN meeting". NLD sources confirmed that they are planning to hold a meeting or come up with a resolution before the seven-nation group's foreign ministers' meeting in Kuala Lumpur today to decide when to admit Burma, Cambodia and Laos. The authorities this week thwarted NLD plans for a mass meeting at Suu Kyi's house to mark the anniversary of the party's 1990 landslide election win, which was not recognised by Slorc. Security around the 1991 Nobel Peace laureate's University Avenue home was relaxed on Thursday as barbed wire barricades and riot police were withdrawn. But witnesses said yesterday that police are still stopping traffic from entering the road and two barbed wire barricades are blocking access to the NLD's headquarters in the centre of the capital. There was no word on the 316 party supporters, including about 50 members of parliament, who the NLD says were arrested in a nationwide swoop to stop the congress from taking place. The government denies having detained any party members and has asked the NLD to prove its claims. ********************************************* EUROPEAN UNION: DECLARATION OF CONCERN OVER ARRESTS May 30, 1997 From: Burma Centrum Nederland http://www.bz.minbuza.nl/europa97/frameset/fs-nieuws.html 30 May 1997,Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union on Myanmar/Burma The European Union is gravely concerned at the continuing deterioration of the political situation in Myanmar/Burma, in particular the increasing repression of the population, and the arrests and detention of members of the National League of Democracy (NLD), related to the celebration on 27 May, last, of the anniversary of the 1990 elections. These actions constitute a further flagrant breach of fundamental freedoms and human rights. The European Union is of the view that it is the legitimate right of any legal political party to peacefully assemble and to discuss matters of common interest. The European Union urges the State Law and Restoration Order Council (SLORC) to immediately and unconditionally release those NLD members who are still detained as well as all other political prisoners. In this respect, the European Union recalls its Common Position as well as its earlier statements on Myanmar/Burma and calls upon the SLORC to enter into a meaningful and substantive dialogue with both Aung San Suu Kyi and other representatives of pro-democracy groups, as well as with national minorities to restore democracy, the rule of law, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and to bring about national reconciliation. ************************************* SHAN HUMAN RIGHTS FOUNDATION: REPORT MAY 1997 May 30, 1997 From: shan FAMILIES BOMBED TO DEATH AT KHO LAM RELOCATION SITE On 21. 2. 97, at about 09:00 pm, 2 Shan families were blasted to death in a dugout by Slorc troops at Kho Lam relocation site, Namzarng township. On that evening, some SURA (Shan United Revolutionary Army) members had come into the site, shot a few times at the police station and left. Hearing the gunfire, Slorc troops assumed the rebels were still in the village and fired many mortar shells into it. After that they came to search for the rebels in the village, and not finding any, they harassed the villagers, shouting, asking, abusing and beating. During the shellings, many villagers had sought cover where they could and 2 families --- altogether 8 people --- had gone into a dugout hole close to their houses to hide from the shellings and were still remaining there when Slorc troops came and dropped a bomb into it. The blast instantly killed 5 and seriously wounded the others. One more died on the way to hospital. Below is the list of the dead and wounded: (1) Ka Ling, 47, son of Pha Zak & Nai Zarm --- killed (2) Nai Leng, 35, Ka Ling's wife --- wounded (3) Ai Lu, 15, their son - wounded (4) Ai Pi, 4, their son - killed (5) Za Ling Ta, 28, son of Khing Ta & Nai Pe --- killed (6) Nang Nu, 28, Za Ling Ta's wife --- killed (7) Nang Myint, 7, their daughter --- killed (8) Nang Zang, 5, their daughter --- killed These people were originally from Ton Hoong village which had been forced to move to Kho Lam relocation site. KILLING DURING WATER FESTIVAL On 14.4.97, during the water festival at Mark Larng village, Wan Long village tract, Murng Phyak township, a villager called Sai Pawk and his friends were roaming and visiting young women, dousing them with water according to the traditional custom of the young Buddhists at this time of the year. While Sai Pawk was throwing water at one of the village young women, 3 Slorc soldiers in civilian clothes turned up and shouted at him, preventing him from throwing water at that young woman. One of the soldiers said, " This girl has nothing to do with you, I loved her before you. How dare you flirt with the girl I love". And he hit Sai Pawk on the head with a heavy stick which killed him right away. Later, Sai Pawk's parents, village leaders and elders went to No. 221 LIB military base and complained about it to the commander. But the commander only responsed by threatening to arrest them, "Because you civilians opposed the army, we have to kill Sai Pawk. If you are not satisfied with it, I will put his parents and elders in prison". WOMAN KILLED IN TREE On 7.4.97, 3 young women from Kung Yung village, Laikha township were collecting vegetable in a nearby forest. One woman was on a tree cutting down branches of young leaves for the other 2 under the tree to pick, not knowing that a group of Slorc troops were approaching. When the soldiers got within hearing distance, they called out something in Burmese which the women did not understand. Being extremely scared, the 2 women under the tree threw down what they were holding and ran away, leaving their friend alone. When the troops got nearer and saw the woman on the tree, they shot her down right away. After the girl fell from the tree, the soldiers covered her with 3-4 sheets of old roofing thatch and set fire to her, without caring to look if she was still alive, and immediately left the place. ROBBERY On 9.4.97, Slorc troops came to Parng Kwai village, Wan Parng tract, Kunhing township, and ordered all the male villagers to gather at the village temple. When only women were left at the houses, the soldiers searched all the houses and took away all the money and valuables they could find. Sai Khe Ming lost half a baht's weight of gold and 8,000/Ks of money and other property. The losses of the rest of the villagers were still unknown. EXTORTION (TRICKERY OF SLORC TROOPS) On 17.3.97, at the Lahu village of Lak Kak, in Murng Phyak township, SLORC troops from No.221 IB sold a water buffalo which they claimed to be theirs, to the Lahu leader for 7,000/Ks. He bought it because it was cheap. Five days later, some officers from the same No.221 IB came to Lak Kak village and asked the Lahu leader for that buffalo. When he told them that he had sold it to a trader, the officers became very angry and beat him, took him to the base of No.221 IB and tied him up while he was moaning and crying from pain. They accused him of selling army property. Later, the officers demanded 3 buffaloes from the leader for their lost buffalo, threatening to punish him harshly if he did not comply. The Lahu leader eventually had to give away his own buffaloes --- 2 white ones and a big black one. It was said among the Lahu villagers that Slorc troops had deliberately set up a trap to get money and more buffaloes from their leader. FORCED LABOR Since the beginning of 1997, civilian population in all village tracts in Murngpyak have been forced to work for the Burmese Army without any payment. They have to build military camps, dig trenches, build roads, make lamp posts etc.. The Burmese troops have issued an order that any one who fails to perform his portion of work will be punished harshly. The people have almost no time to earn their living. TORTURE, RAPE AND KILLING OF A HAPLESS FAMILY Sometime in late March, 1997, there was a Shan family of 5 in a remote hut near a rice farm of Mark Kawk village, Wan Zae village tract, Laikha township, when Slorc troops came and saw them. Their village was being forced to move to Laikha relocation site, and they were on their way there, but for some reason had stopped at the place to rest. They were husband and wife, a teenage daughter, and a girl and a boy under 10 years of age. Slorc troops tied up the husband and suspended him to the beam of the hut with a rope and made a fire under him, roasting him over it. They then gang raped the teenage girl and eventually killed her. A few days later, the husband died after suffering much from the pain of the torture. The wife suffered much from the agony of watching her husband being tortured and her daughter being raped and killed, and has finally become mentally unbalanced. FORCED RELOCATION, RAPE AND LOOTING On the morning of 20.4.97, about 50 Slorc troops from Laikha - based No.64 IB, led by Maj. Khin Than Aye, came to Pa Lai village, Nar Kharn village tract, Murngnai township and arrested the village headman Loong Awng La at his house. They beat him again and again until he fainted 2-3 times and took him to another house and tied him up. The Slorc major then ordered his sergeant, Hla Phyu, and 2-3 of his soldiers to take away and rape the headman's wife Pa Leng, while he himself raped their daughter Nang Nu Harn in the house. At about 4 o'clock in the afternoon, Maj. Khin Than Aye ordered the headman to tell his villagers to move to Nar Kharn and to complete the move on 21.4.97. Pa Lai was a rather new village with 37 houses, set up more than 3 years ago. On 22.4.97, Capt. Aung Khin, from the same No.64 IB, headed 30 troops to Pa Lai and took all the property which was left behind, because the villagers had had no time to take it away in such a very short period, including 8 cart oxen. KILLINGS NEAR KHO LAM In April, people from Wan Nang village (40 houses) who had been moved to Kho Lam, Namzarng township, came back to look for their cattle and their household property and were shot dead by Slorc troops stationed at Nar Law village at the time. (1) Sai Thark Awn, 40, from Wan Nang (2) Sai Zik Ta Awn, 35, from Wan Nang (3) Sai Hurng, 30, from Wan Nang (4) Sai La, 33, from Wan Nang (5) Khat Ti Ya, 30, son of Loong Sai & Nai Ne, Wan Lar, Kho Ood (6) Nang Sai, 16, daughter of Loong Zan Ta & Nang Yawn --- This girl had been engaged and was about to marry in a few days time at Kho Lam quarter 1 where she and her family had been relocated. ARBITRARY DETENTION In late April, Slorc troops arrested 14 villagers, including 4 women, at the old village of Wan Phai, Kaeng Lom tract, Kunhing township. The villagers had gone back to their old village to look for their stray cattle. After the arrest, they were brought and kept at the military out-post camp at Kaeng Lom, close to the Kaeng Lom temple, and the women were raped every night. While on patrol, these same troops had spent a night at Nar Law old village and burnt down 2 ox-carts belonged to an elderly woman Pa Loi Seng, 72, and couple, Sang Saw, 45, and Nai Zawn, 40. SEVEN VILLAGES BURNED DOWN In April 1997, seven villages of Laikha township were relocated and burned down by Slorc troops from No.246 LB. (1) Wan Phar Wawng (2) Wan Nawng Kern (3) Wan Zalai Loi (4) Wan Ho Nam (5) Wan Nawng Wo (6) Wan Kung Parng (7) Wan Nam Maw Long KILLINGS AND THEFT OF BICYCLES In late March, Slorc troops from Langkhur base, while patrolling the road from Kho Lam to Nar Law, met 4 villagers who were riding bicycles from the direction of Nar Law, between Wan Nang and Kho Ood villages. Slorc soldiers arrested all of them and took them to Nar Law where they arrested 2 more villagers. The villagers were tortured, beaten and their legs were stabbed with knives while being interrogated. All 6 villagers were later beaten to death at a stream near a water-powered rice mill belonging to Loong Zarae Ing Ta, close to the Nam Taeng river. No one dared go near the place for several days, the corpses were left rotting in the stream and some had floated down into Nam Taeng and were trapped about 60 yards downstream, floating and stinking for several days. Meanwhile, it was reported that the Slorc troops had taken the four bicycles stolen from the villagers and sold them in the town of Namzarng. Then in early April, Slorc troops No.246 LIB stationed at Kunhing shot at 4 villagers on the bank of Nam Parng river, 3 miles north of Kunhing. They shot as soon as they saw the villagers without asking any questions, killing 3 instantly and wounded 1, who ran away and narrowly escape. No one dared to go to bury the corpses. KILLINGS IN KAE-SEE TOWNSHIP 01.4.97, Slorc troops under No.55 Division killed the following innocent civilians: (1) Sai Mon, 25, son of Lai Sai Lek & Nai Num - Nawng Parng village, Murng Yarng tract, Murng Nawng Kae See township (2) Sai Wa Ling, 23, younger brother of Sai Mon (3) Ai Tark Ngo, 22, son of Loong Saw & Nai Sip, Nawng Parng, Murng Yarng tract, Murng Nawng (4) Ai Mon, 25, son of Lai Kham Awn and Nai U, Kung Kawk, Murng Yawng, Murng Nawng (5) Pi Lern, 40, elder brother of Sai Mon, Kung Kawk, Murng Yawng, Murng Nawng (6) Loong Kham Leng, 70, Kung Kawk, Murng Yarng, Murng Nawng They were accused of being SURA (Shan United Revolutionary Army) members and were killed. PORTERS KILLED - 3.4.97, villagers killed while serving as porters (1) Ai Mart, 30, son of Loong Kan Na & Nai Mu, Kung Sarm Kyawng, Hai Lai, Namzarng (2) Pan Zig Ta, 24, Loong Wi & Nai Zarng, Kung Sarm Kyawng, Hai Lai, Namzarng (3) Ai Ti, 25, Loong Awn & Nai Yong, Kung Sarm Kyawng, Hai Lai, Namzarng These three men were seized for porters while they were fishing and were beaten to death near Wan Sai Khao. The Slorc troops were said to be under 55 Division. RAPE AND KILLINGS IN LAIKHA - 14.4.97, a Shan woman was raped and burnt to death with a mini-tractor (Talagyi) near Wan Warn village, Laikha township. The remains of her body and the tractor were found by local villagers. (Name --- unknown) - 24.4.97, a villager (name + village unknown) was arrested by Slorc troops and killed near Wan Ho Kho - Kung Sa village, east of Wan Pa Lai, Laikha township. - 29.4.97, Slorc troops arrested and shot dead a villager named Nan Zing, 28, son of Pu Zalawp & Nai Zalowp, Wan Pa Mai, Nar Poi tract, Laikha township. MONK ARRESTED AND IMPRISONED Slorc troops from Kunhing-based No.524 LIB arrested a Buddhist monk named U Zing Ta Ta with 11 years of holy service, at his monastery at kho Lam and forced him to disrobe. They brought him to their base and beat him while asking about a meeting of SURA (Shan United Revolutionary Army). Later he was sent to Loilem prison and is still being held there. Slorc troops had searched the monastery but found nothing illegal or against them. According to many villagers, this monk had nothing to do with SURA, but the fact that he used to organize Shan literary campaigns could be the reason for his arrest. RAPE AND KILLING 18.4.97, Slorc troops from No.378 LIB (brought in from Arakan State), 1 Capt. and 3 soldiers, raped 2 women named Nang Sa and Nang Sarm at the village of Nawng Hai, Kho Lam circle, Kunhing township. After they had finished raping the women, they went to Nawng Hai village and arrested a man named Khing Sarng at a farm nearby. They beat him and asked about SURA movement in the area. When he could not answer their questions, they stabbed his chest, belly and neck, and killed him near Wan Sai Khao. LAND SEIZURE IN KAENGTUNG In late February, Slorc troops stationed at the Strategic Command post near Kaeng Ka village in Kaengtung (on the road from the town to Kaeng Ka village, and also close to the village and the main road to Tachilaek), seized land from the villagers of Nam Khek, Sao Pet and Kaeng Ka. It was a stretch of rice fields, about the size of 4-5 football fields, between the villages and belonged to about 10 families of the surounding 3 villages. It extended along the eastern side of the Kaengtung-Tachilaek road, from Nam Khek at the edge of the town to the foot of the hill on which the military base was situated. One of the owners of the land was Sai Long Muay, 45, of Nam Khek, a former member of the People's Council under the defunct BSPP (Burma Socialist Programme Party). Sai Long had all along been one of Slorc docile helpers, but his land had not been spared. The headman of Nam Khek was told that the land would be used as a play-ground and foot-ball field. It was almost harvest time and the paddy plants were stooping with heavy seeds, turning from green to yellow, when Slorc authorities brought in an excavator and dug two ponds, about 1,600 square metres each, near the foot of the military hill, and paddy plants were swept flat by the machine. PHOTOGRAPHS These photographs of some of the bomb victims were taken by one of the victims' relatives, after the bodies had been taken out of the dugout hole by relatives and villagers, when the situation had become somewhat quiet. ( 1 ) Ka Ling, 47, killed in a bomb attack by Slorc troops while taking cover in a dugout together with his family and relatives at Kho Lam. (Story on page 1) ( 2 ) Ka Ling's 4 year-old-son. Killed with his father. ( 3 ) Za Ling Ta, 28, Ka Ling's relative killed in the same incident with his wife and 2 daughters. The bodies of the other victims ere laid down in the shadow behind him. ( 4 ) Nang Nu, 28, Za Ling Ta's wife, killed with her husband. ( 5 ) Bodies of the bomb victims prepared for burial. ( 6 ) Monks and relatives performing religious funeral rites at the burial ground. ( 7 ) Bicycles are usually the fastest means of transportation a village family in Shan State can afford. But now cyclists are often seized by Slorc troops and accused of being or having connections with rebels and killed, while their bicycles are taken to towns for sale. End. **************************************** THAILAND TIMES: THAILAND DEFENDS POLICY OF FORCED REPATRIATION May 31, 1997 By Khachorn Bunphat And Weeraphan Wutthibunya MAE HONG SON: Amid increasing concern over reports that 430 Shan refugees have been forcibly repatriated back to a precarious future in Burma, Thailand yesterday moved to defend the decision. "If we let these people in, one day Thai people will have no place to stand," said a senior provincial official, who asked to remain anonymous. He said the refugees, who were pushed across the border on Thursday, used the false pretext of human rights abuses simply to find a better job in Thailand. The official dismissed the refugees pleas that their relatives had been slaughtered by the Burmese army and that they were being sent back to their deaths, saying that the Shan State is now free from fighting. Thursday's repatriation of the refugees, who had been living in Mae Hong Son's Pang Met Pha district since March, is the first known incident of its kind since the United States launched a fierce protest against the forced return of Karen refugees in February. A senior national security officer, who declined to be named, also insisted yesterday that the latest group to be returned were nothing but illegal immigrants. The refugees are the Burmese junta's responsibility and Thailand will wash its hands of them, he said. The asylum seekers were pushed back as far as Ho Mong, a Burmese base which officers from the renegade Shan United Revolutionary Army (Sura) have recently said they are preparing to launch an imminent assault on. Sura officials have warned of the possibility of fierce fighting in the area, and have said that Burmese troops based in the Shan State massacred 79 innocent villagers only last month. An official from the Thai based Shan Human Rights Foundation said yesterday that he has been flooded with calls from concerned agencies across the globe in response to the reports of Thailand's latest action. He said the US-based Human Rights Watch Asia was one of many organizations anxious to check on the latest information, as it plans to submit a letter of protest to the Thai government. Of particular concern to the human rights watchdog was the fact that the repatriation came despite the refugees' warnings that their lives were in danger, he said. The spokesman said officials from the embassies of the United States, Britain and Switzerland also called to request for more details. Officials from Human Rights Watch Asia's London office said they have been trying to verify the reports, but that until they have sufficient evidence can launch no plan of action. The forced repatriation of over 900 Karen refugees back to the Burmese war zone in February provoked an international outcry, with organizations across the world joining with the United States to condemn Thailand's action. ****************************************** REUTER: BURMA SIGNS ECONOMIC PACT WITH ALLY CHINA May 30, 1997 [abridged] RANGOON, May 30 (Reuter) - Burma has signed a broad economic and trade cooperation agreement with its major ally China, official media reports said on Friday, a move that comes soon after U.S. sanctions on Rangoon. The reports said China's visiting vice minister for foreign trade and economic cooperation, Li Guo Hua, and Burma's national planning and economic development minister, David Abel, also agreed on Thursday to form a joint works committee for cooperation. No further details were provided. ``The significance of this agreement is it was signed soon after the U.S. decided to impose economic sanctions on Burma,'' an analyst said. ``It can mean that the Chinese want to show the ruling State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) that they are dependable in times of isolation,'' he said. China is one of Burma's closest allies and is said to be its biggest supplier of weapons. Bilateral trade between the two countries totalled $500 million in 1995, Chinese embassy sources said. ******************************************** THAILAND TIMES: BORDER DISPUTE TAKES A NEW TWIST WITH ANOTHER OFFENSE May 31, 1997 By Assawin Pinitwong TAK: The Burmese technical authority yesterday violated an agreement made between Thailand and Burma, by inviting its press to-take pictures of the disputed islet without the presence of Thai officials. The Burmese technical authority, established with its Thai counterpart after the two sides agreed to withdraw troops from the disputed Ko Chang Phuak islet on Wednesday, had led five Burmese press officials to take pictures of the area without Thai officials as witnesses. The action is considered a violation of the agreement which stipulates that Thai and Burmese authorities must consult each other before entering the disputed area. Thailand and Burma are currently at loggerheads after the Burmese military junta ordered troops into the area to dig a channel intended to divert the Moei River. As a result of the Burmese dredging, the river changed its course after severe flooding in 1995 leaving the islet clearly on Thai soil. The Burmese junta does not agree with the Thai land claim. But after the talks between senior officials from both countries, both agreed on Wednesday to pull the troops back to allow technical officers from the Joint Border Committee (JBC)- solve the problem. Yet, Burmese tractors and equipment were left in the area and Thai people are scared of being arrested by the Burmese. A Burmese diplomatic source said the event took place because a Thai businessman who visited Burma as part of the premier's delegation wants to build a casino on the islet. Meanwhile, Thai residents in the area said a Thai businessmen and two Taiwanese investors interested in the land had recently hired a cameraman to film the site in August of last year. *********************************************** THAILAND TIMES: THAI LOGGERS' ARREST LINKED TO DISCONTENT OVER PROTECTION MONEY May 31, 1997 By Kachorn Boonpath MAE HONG SON: Dissatisfaction over not receiving kickbacks is expected to be the reason why Burmese officials arrested 38 illegal Thai loggers, according to a source from the Shan State Army (SSA). The Burmese soldiers had earlier captured 38 Thai workers from the Thai Sawat logging company for illegally felling trees outside the Chiang Tong township. The company had been given logging concessions by the Burmese government in the township of Pu Luang which is located on the northeast of Chiang Tong, where logs are hauled into Thailand through Chiang Mai's Chiang Down district. The company has allegedly authorized its workers to illegally cut trees outside concession areas because the authorized areas have already been logged out. However, former high-ranking officials of the SSA who spoke on condition of anonymity believed that the real reason for the arrest was the junta' s dissatisfaction with the company. He said the company had willingly paid money to the Shan United Revolutionary Army (Sura) for illegal logging concessions and protection in the Chiang Tong region. He added that the Burmese soldiers were dissatisfied with the company for not paying them protection money which was given instead to the Sura soldiers. ********************************************* RANGOON TV MYANMAR NETWORK: THAN SHWE--OVER 500,000 MEMBERS ATTENDED 16 USDA MEETINGS May 28, 1997 [translated from Burmese, abridged] Senior General Than Shwe, patron of the Union Solidarity and Development Association [USDA], chairman of the State Law and Order Restoration Council [SLORC], and commander in chief of the Defense Services, delivered an address at the opening of Management Course No. 10 for USDA executives held at the Union Hall of the Central Public Relations Unit in Hmawbi at 0900 today. Gen. Than Shwe said the association was formed to serve the interests of the people, comprising all the national races, and to defend the nation. He recalled that mass panel meetings of the association on implementation of community service tasks were held recently, systematically and extensively, in 16 cities of the respective States and Divisions. He claimed the mass meetings attended by over 500,000 USDA members of the townships concerned firmly laid down resolutions in the interest of the nation and the population. He noted that the mass meetings dealt with objective conditions in the country and took a firm stand in tabling motions to denounce internal and external destructive elements. Gen. Than Shwe noted that there is plenty of work that will enable them to possess qualities such as a correct outlook and thinking power. He urged them to cultivate themselves by becoming better informed as regards international, national, and regional affairs. He said that only then will they become able future leaders and good organizers upon whom the nation can rely. ] The SLORC chairman pointed out that the association has a specific national conviction, objectives, and work programs serving the national and public interests. The desired goal of a peaceful, modern, and developed nation will certainly be realized if the association members organize the public indicating those points. Gen. Than Shwe called on the trainees to study seriously what is taught in the course seriously, observe discipline, and work for the association's progress. ************************************** BRC-J ANNOUNCEMENT: INTERDIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS UPCOMING SHAREHOLDERS' MEETING May 27, 1997 From: Ken and Visakha Kawasaki Corporate Headquarters 781 Third Avenue King of Prussia, PA 19406 U.S.A. Telephone: 610-878-7800 Fax: 610-992-9432 New York Office Two Huntington Quadrangle Fourth Floor Melville, NY 11747 U.S.A. Telephone: 516-622-4000 Fax: 516-622-0100 E-mail: sales@interdigital.com Webb, Gregory - Chief Executive Officer Doyle, William A. - President Goldberg, Howard E. - Executive Vice President, Legal Counsel, Secretary Lemmo, Mark - Executive Vice President Garrison, James W. - Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer Tilden, Charles R. - Vice President Bolgiano, D. Ridgely - Vice President, Subsidiary Officer Directors/Nominees Doyle, Willam A. - President Bolgiano, D. Ridgely - Vice President, Subsidiary Officer NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF SHAREHOLDERS JUNE 20, 1997 TO THE SHAREHOLDERS: The Annual Meeting of Shareholders of InterDigital Communications Corporation (the "Company") will be held at the Sheraton Valley Forge Hotel, King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, on June 20, 1997, at 1:00 p.m. local time. ****************************************